Femto cells/Femto cell access points (FAP) are small cellular base stations designed for extending coverage of wireless communication networks. Each Femto cells provide services to users registered to that particular FAP. FAPs use broadband router in order to connect to the network.
Each FAP is distinguished by using a code called “Location Area Code” (LAC). Due to limited availability of Location Area Codes, multiple FAPs may be assigned with the same Location Area Code. In any geographic area, it is possible for many FAPs to share the same LAC as a result. In certain cases, User Equipments (UE) may try to access an unauthorized network, if the UE detects a FAP in its vicinity. When the FAP receives a connection request from an unknown UE, the FAP checks authorization of the UE and denies access to the UE if that particular is found to be unauthorized. The FAP checks if the UE is authorized by comparing the UE's identity to a list of UE identities present with the FAP which are authorized to access the FAP.
In an existing method to control access to a FAP, when a UE is not authorized to connect to that FAP, the FAP sends a message to the UE, where the message indicates that the UE is “not allowed at the Location Area Code”. In an existing method, when the Location Update procedure is “rejected” with cause “not allowed at the Location Area”, the message also implicitly indicates that the UE not attempt further connections to the FAP. In the existing method, the UE moves the LAC into a forbidden list of LACs present within the UE. Hereafter, the UE will not attempt to connect to that FAP until the UE is power cycled (rebooted) or the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card is reinserted.
As the LAC is present within the forbidden list, the UE will not attempt to connect any cellular site sharing or broadcasting the same LAC. Once the UE comes in the vicinity of a FAP with the same LAC (where the UE is authorized to connect to that FAP), the UE will not attempt a connection, as the LAC is present within the forbidden list. In order to enable the UE to connect to an authorized FAP with a LAC that is present in the forbidden list of that UE, the user of the UE has to either remove and reinsert the USIM card or has to power cycle the UE.